a lot of people, like neville, choose to return to hogwarts for theirĀ āeighth yearā
a lot of them arenāt surprises - hermione, luna, dracoā¦
but what isĀ a surprise is when george weasley peeks his head into nevilleās train carriage and asks if he can sit with them
and, unlike many of the people on the train, he grins and accepts a voucher for a free copy of the quibbler from luna and when he saysĀ ācoolā she looks so happy she might burst
āi thought you left school,ā neville says
āthought iād come back,ā george says, scratching his arm,Ā āfinish learning everything, so my products can be the bestā
thereās something heās not saying, but neville just nods
they share the jelly slugs they get from the trolley, and swap chocolate frog cards because neville has fabian prewett
āi didnāt even know he was on a card,ā george says, raising an eyebrow
the room of requirement shows up to all the eighth years as another common room, for when they need the peace and quiet and time to themselves or time with those who have been through what theyāve been through
neville almost always finds george there, instead of in the common room, and heās surprised, but he doesnāt say anything again, because he knows george is still reeling from being without fred
(the fact heās even come back is a miracle)
but he canāt take that george is always sitting there looking miserable, so after class one day he heads over to george, feeling bold, and asks
āwould you like to come and help me cultivate the dittany?ā
fuck, he thinks suddenly, thatās so stupid, of course he isnāt going to want to do that, he probably thinks itās boring-
but george smiles and nods, getting to his feet
heās surprisingly good with the plants, and he even talks to them, just like neville
between the two of them, they take the dittany cuttings in far less time than neville wouldāve taken alone
āthanks for inviting me out,ā george says, leaning against the greenhouse door as neville pulls off his apron (canāt be too careful).Ā āitās been really hard, and you and luna and hermione have been greatā
neville shrugs:Ā āi just want to helpā
āwell, thank you for itā
nevilleās not expecting it when george tentatively puts his arms up around nevilleās back and leans in close, hugging him gingerly, like heās scared of the contact
heās a little nervous to do this, in case itās wrong, but neville hugs back a little tighter and george melts into him for the briefest of moments
george starts to settle in a little, after; he stops sitting on the sofa on his own staring into space and helps luna out with making posters advertising for quidditch positions for ravenclaw
he even takes up the helm of quidditch commentator, and when neville cheers in the stands with hermione, it almost feels like nothingās happened at all
heās not going to forget the carrows and what they did to hogwarts, not easily, and george is never going to get over being alone in hogwarts, but it feels like - it feels like things arenāt completely awful, like thereās a light far far away at the end of the tunnel, but there, even if itās difficult to reach
thereās a strange and utterly unpredictable mid-october heatwave, and he helps george and luna hand out ice creams to the younger students
george lights up when heās busy, grinning at the first and second years and giving them a reassuring clap on the shoulder when he sends them off with their cute little ice cream cones
neville is struck by how sweet it is, that heās doing his best for them, no matter how he feels on the inside
george is a people person, and always has been
āhey, nev, you want some?ā he asks with a grin
āitās for the younger students,ā neville says stubbornly, but he can tell already that george isnāt giving up on this
ācome onnnn,ā he says, butting his shoulder against neville and giving him a playful look, and neville has to give up with a smile
āonly if youāll have some, tooā
luna takes over, because the rush has died down, so neville and george sit out in one of the courtyards, basking in the peculiar heat (āthe hellās wrong with scottish weather?ā george asks with a fake frown)
āhow are you feeling?ā neville asks, trying not to be awkward
āokay,ā says george.Ā ānot feeling like i want to die, or anything, strangely enoughā
āif you do, iām here, and so is luna, and hermione, and everyone elseā¦ā he nudges george.Ā āmaybe even draco malfoy would be nice to you,ā he says with half a wink, and george giggles
and they spend most of the afternoon out there, even once theyāve finished their ice creams (though george has to finish nevilleās cone), just talking and laughing and reminiscingĀ
they start spending time as a group: neville, george, luna, and hermione, and dean and seamus sometimes join them, but theyāre tight-knit because theyāve been through so much
they can relate to each other
but neville and george start to stick together; neville loves georgeās quirks, and george appreciates that neville wants to help and spend time with him
george helps out around the greenhouse, and neville helps test the productsā¦ even if that means being turned into a canary again (he didnāt mind so much the first time, really)
neville worries heās a replacement for fred, but hermione assures him he canāt be, because heās so different and not exactly a bundle of excitement and energy like fred; heās quiet and careful, sits and waters his cacti instead of making big jokes
itās an option in seventh year to help out in the first year classes - not that most people take it, because itās a waste of the time they could be using revising for their dang n.e.w.t.sĀ - but neville has a go, and george waits for him to walk to their next period class, grinningĀ
ānext thing we know, youāre gonna be called professor longbottom,ā he says
āyou think?ā neville scratches his chin, thoughtfully.Ā āthatād be niceā
āyouād be great,ā george assures him
itās not a surprise that they get together - the only surprise is that it took them so long, but with feelings all tangled up like vines, maybe itās understandable (but not to the younger gryffindors, anyway, who have been keeping a betting pool)
itās in mid-december, and theyāre sitting out in the rain in puffy jackets testing out georgeās magical umbrella that creates more of a bubble than an umbrella, keeping the rain off completely, with no having to dump the umbrella in the bath later
neville has a flask heās borrowed from dean, with hot chocolate and marshmallows and heās about to share it with george when he suddenly realises how close they are and how much he wants everything for george
and wants everything about george
he just wants to be close to george, to hug him, to kiss him better
he leans in and touches his lips to george, a little uncertain just like their first hug, and george puts a hand round the back of his neck, pulling him closer
neville can feel the smile against him
they donāt say anything about it afterwards because thereās nothing they need to say to each other that they donāt know, so he takes a sip of hot chocolate
(and they kiss again because theyāve spent this long notĀ kissing; they might as well start making use of their time)
āhow are you feeling?ā neville asks, just before they go back inside
āa lot like i donāt want to die,ā george says, squeezing his hand,Ā āācause i think iāve got something to live forā
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